Nokia was the main hardware maker behind Windows' boost, accounting for 79 percent of shipments in Q1 2013

Windows 8 tablets may not be seeing a ton of success, but Windows Phone is doing just fine as it managed to slip past BlackBerry for third place in smartphone operating system shipments.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Windows Phone jumped to third place in the first quarter of 2013 with 7 million units shipped. About 3 million Windows Phones were shipped in the year-ago quarter.

This gave Windows Phone a total of 3.2 percent smartphone market share for Q1 2013, which was a boost from Q1 2012's market share of only 2 percent.

"Windows Phone claiming the third spot is a first and helps validate the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. "Given the relatively low volume generated, the Windows Phone camp will need to show further gains to solidify its status as an alterative to Android or iOS."

A big reason for Windows Phone's boost is Nokia, which makes flagship handsets like the Nokia Lumia 920. It's been trying to keep a steady pace of releases too, with new smartphones like the Lumia 925 (Nokia's new metal flagship phone for T-Mobile only) and the Lumia 928 (exclusive to Verizon only starting today).

Nokia made up about 79 percent of all Windows Phone shipments during Q1 2013.

BlackBerry fell to fourth place with 6.3 million shipments and 2.9 percent market share for the quarter. This was compared to 9.7 million shipments 6.4 percent market share in Q1 2012.

BlackBerry has been trying to make a comeback with its new BlackBerry 10 (BB10) operating system and line of devices. The new line was introduced in late January of this year, with its first BB10 smartphone -- the Z10 -- being released at that same time in the UK. It rolled out slowly throughout the next couple of months, ending with a U.S. launch on March 22.

This means that BB10 couldn't really use the first quarter to its full potential as far as shipments go, and numbers could pick up in Q2 2013 -- especially since its second BB10 smartphone (the Q10) is being released throughout May.

I think we can all guess which operating systems took the first and second places. Android stayed at No. 1 with 162.1 million units shipped and 75 percent market share in Q1 2013. Apple's iOS took second with 37.4 million shipments and 17.3 percent market share.